Abstract
The effects of alkali treatment on the thermal degradation and weathering properties of bamboo strips were investigated in this work. Dried bamboo strips with average dimensions of 100 x 15 x (1.1-1.5) mm were mercerized with caustic soda solution (10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) (w/v) at ambient temperature, maintaining a liquor-to-solids ratio of 15:1. All types of bamboo specimens were subjected to thermogravimetric anal-ysis and accelerated weathering by water immersion and further char-acterized by flexural property measurements. Water absorption and dimensional changes were recorded at 100% humidity, room temperature, and atmospheric pressure. The results showed that the treated bamboo strips had a higher deterioration in flexural properties compared to the untreated ones. Thermogravimetric analysis of all the samples indicated better thermal properties of alkali-treated samples. The highest activation energy was observed with a 15% alkali-treated bamboo sample.Download PDF